Educational appliance



Jan; 5, 1937.

G. M. WOLFE.

EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE Fil ed Nov. 17, 1950 INVENTOR:

Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to self-verifying, selfinterpreting picture-matching word-building devices, usable by children for self-instruction in reading, spelling and phonics.

The scope of the invention is not limited to the forms and uses here described.

Fig. 1 shows a card (I) bearing a picture of an object, and the initial letter of its name; a hole out in the card at the right of the initial.

Fig. 2 shows a card (2) bearing a picture of an object having the same name as the object shown in Fig. 1, and the terminal part of its name; a hole cut in the card at the left of the terminal part of the name.

Fig. 3 shows the card of Fig. I laid over the card of Fig. 2, the terminal part of the name showing thru the hole in the overlaid card, and alined with the initial to spell the name.

In Figs. 1 and 2, each of two cards, I and 2 20 bears a complete picture of an object and a part of its name, and there is cut away the portion of the card that would be occupied by the remaining complementary part of the name if printed in full on such card; so that if either 25 card is laid over the other, both parts of the name appear. The rectangles, a, b, are openings left where such parts are cut out.

Fig. 3 shows card I laid over card 2, with the initial b showing on card I, and the terminal at,

30 on card 2, showing thru.

Tho primarily for instruction, such cards are ideally adapted for use in card-matching games, in which several players compete for the largest number of matched cards. Children playing 85 such games for amusement, will gain instruction incidentally.

I claim:

1. In a word-building device of the character described, a thin fiat piece bearing a picture that suggests a word, and the initial component of said Word, a portion of said piece, at the right of said initial component of said word, cut away, larger than the space required for the complementary terminal component of said word; and another thin flat piece bearing a picture that suggests the same word that is suggested by the picture on the aforesaid piece, and the complementary terminal component of said word, a portion of said latter piece, at the left of said terminal component of said word, cut away, larger than the said complementary initial com ponent of said word, on the aforesaid piece, either of said two pieces adapted to be laid over the other of said two pieces, thereby exposing one of the said complementary components of said word, on the upper piece, and the other complementary component of said word, on the under piece, in proper alinement to construct said suggested word.

2. In a word-building device, a thin flat piece bearing the initial part of a word, a portion of said piece, at the right of said initial part of said word, cut away, larger than the space required for the complementary terminal part of said word; and another thin fiat piece bearing the complementary terminal part of said word, a portion of said piece, at the left of said terminal part of said word, cut away, larger than the space occupied by said initial part of said word, on the other piece, either piece adapted to be laid over the other, thereby exposing the part of said word, on said upper piece, and the other complementary part of said Word, on the under piece, said parts being properly alined to construct said word.

GEORGE M. WOLFE. 

